Illinois 75, Iowa 69 Postgame

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#302      
21ChampaignSt
For as good as the defense has been (#1 defense since the Nebraska game, #3 defense so far in the month of January), I think we are still improving and will be even better on that end a month or so from now. You can tell they're still working out a few kinks in their drop coverage D.

We continue to round into form and are looking like we could challenge for a B1G championship and a very high seed - possibly even a 1 seed if we can beat Purdue and Michigan. Tall order but not impossible.
 
#303      
Todd99
RabidDawgClassic said:
At one point the Illini fans in attendance were chanting I-L-L… I-N-I and one of the clueless announcers said the crowd is doing everything it can to encourage the Hawkeyes. 😂😂😂
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I’ve gone pretty much exclusively to listening to the radio broadcasts. The Varsity app is so easy to sync up with the TV broadcast. Barnhart is a pro, and he knows the players and coaches, and always has interesting insight and anecdotes. Plus, Deon Thomas or occasionally, like on Saturday, Doug Altenberger is the color guy. They both do a nice job. They offer good analysis but don’t overstep, plus they’re huge fans.

There was a funny conversation during a timeout in Saturday’s game after Big Z hit the back-to-back threes in the second half. Barnhart asked Altenberger what his old coach, Lou Henson would think of a seven-footer shooting threes? Altenberger responded kind of dryly ‘Yeah, that wouldn’t happen’ he said something to the effect of, if you did shoot it, you better make it because it may be the last time you see the floor for a while. It was a neat commentary on how the game has changed but with a popular former player and the reference to Henson, it’s something you only get with the hometown broadcast.
 
#304      
kyillini
I don't know how much this has been talked about concerning Coach Crocker and his work with the defensive side of the ball. Our def has gotten much better. Excluding the Neb game. Santefort was throwing up prayers and Lawrences' game winner could have easily been missed. I think they have learned since the Neb game. Coach Crocker was the defensive specialist and is doing a very good job. Glad Brad got him. They will only get better.
 
#306      
ChiefGritty
Fly Illini Fly! said:
Nebraska was bad, but if we are talking in totality -- the defense has clearly upgraded from a year ago. Last year we finished 40th. Right now we're 16th.

And we've already played teams TTU, BAMA, UCONN, OSU, NEBRASKA, TENNESSEE, etc.
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We definitely do not let opposing teams do whatever they want offensively the way we too often have in previous years.

This team isn't the greatest collection of individual defenders, but it was really mostly a broader conceptual problem which has been addressed to some extent.

Yesterday was a perfect example. We did what it took to make sure Bennett Stirtz was not the protagonist of that game.
 
#307      
Second place is 1st loser
Fly Illini Fly! said:
Goodness grace. He never said Tomi isn’t needed flat out… that was only the first part of his sentence. The full quote reads “isn’t needed or used in the same capacity as last season.”

I actually find that to be quite accurate. Last year he was the focal point of the offense in the frontcourt — DHOs, pick and pops, facilitator at the top of the key, etc, etc. This year that’s Mirkovic. Tomi isn’t nearly as featured — and that may also be what’s led to some of his struggles.

Wagler has taken on KJ’s role as the primary guard initiator (and IMO, has been even better).

Most notably, there’s absolutely zero way that’s anywhere close to being “the worst take that one has taken on this board all year.”
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The bolded, after further review, is valid. We've had some wild stuff said in here that literally made me shut down for a couple of days before common sense struck and saw that even a couple of days didn't seem to be enough. So, I concede.

However, the Tomi part stands to a certain point. You're right, there wasn't a hard stop after what started off as an absurd take, so I'll concede 50% of that. I still think that:

"Tomi should only be getting 15-20 minutes a game."

Will not allow this team to max out their potential. Z has been terrific, but from top to bottom, does not bring the skill set that Tomi does. Z is an absolute menace in the paint defensively. That's where, by far, his most value is at. He shoots the three well, which is also of huge value.

Now, at Tomi's best, he is far more gifted on the offensive end and it's not close. He's a post presence, he creates double teams, he's a plus plus passer out of the post and he can also shoot the three. You can run the offense through Tomi, which makes us FAR more dangerous. On the defensive side, while he's not as menacing as Z, he's still a shot blocker and he alters shots or creates the need for the opponent to pull it back out and reset.

HOWEVER....... HOWEVER...... HOWEVER......this is not based on how Tomi is currently playing. Nobody can look at him and say he's playing anywhere remotely close to his capabilities and quite frankly, he's been flat out bad at times. I agree with all of it. That said, I think it is a 100% confidence issue with him and nothing more than that. A guy doesn't regain his confidence by getting minutes taken away. It has the opposite effect. If you feel that your coach has lost faith, that's demoralizing. This is all predicated on the fact that BU doesn't see this as an effort/attitude issue. If that were the case, butt meet bench.

It's still barely the middle of January. There's a LONG way to go. The team is playing really well, we have a but of a soft part of the schedule coming up, so to me, he's out there with regular minutes. You cannot simply ignore his immense skill, which makes us much, much better and change things up this early.

IMO, with games vs Purdue, Michigan, MSU, etc on the docket, Mirkovic is the guy that Is keep a pulse on.

I could be totally off base, but as we sit here today(13-4, 4-1)....leave it alone.
 
#308      
Mapman
ChiefGritty said:
We definitely do not let opposing teams do whatever they want offensively the way we too often have in previous years.

This team isn't the greatest collection of individual defenders, but it was really mostly a broader conceptual problem which has been addressed to some extent.

Yesterday was a perfect example. We did what it took to make sure Bennett Stirtz was not the protagonist of that game.
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I’m starting to love our compete level on D as well as our discipline to not foul by moving our feet and jumping straight up on contested shots. Huge difference from previous years.
 
#312      
Se Il Illini
Good game. Illinois led from wire to wire on Iowa's floor. I give Iowa credit for not folding when the game could have gotten out of hand. Apparently the 11:00 am start did not affect the outcome.
 
#313      
OrangeBlue98
BalloonsTheElephant said:
I was actually glad he kept his cool. You can be angry when the game is over and not cost your team a lead. He led by example in that situation. He stayed calm, player stayed calm, we held on.
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I’m sure Brad has had a lengthy conversation with the conference’s officiating director today. :)

But yes, his reaction yesterday was exactly what was needed at that spot in the game. The team took direction from its head coach. To be honest, I’m actually kind of surprised to generally see UConn players not chirp at officials that much given who their coach is and his propensity to be quite vocal…..
 
#315      
Fighter of the Nightman
21ChampaignSt said:
For as good as the defense has been (#1 defense since the Nebraska game, #3 defense so far in the month of January), I think we are still improving and will be even better on that end a month or so from now. You can tell they're still working out a few kinks in their drop coverage D.

We continue to round into form and are looking like we could challenge for a B1G championship and a very high seed - possibly even a 1 seed if we can beat Purdue and Michigan. Tall order but not impossible.
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I have frickin' loved the improvement on defense with this group! Also, a VERY material number of Iowa's points came from them making contested threes ... nothing you can do about that. And we still held them to fewer than 70 points at home for the first time all year. Just looking at the number of points we have given up by date vs. Power Conference teams...

Nov. 11 - 77 points at home
Nov. 19 - 90 points at home/neutral (United Center)
Nov. 28 - 74 points at away/neutral (MSG)
Dec. 6 - 62 points at away/neutral (Nashville)
Dec. 9 - 80 points on the road
Dec. 13 - 83 points at home
...
Dec. 22 - 48 points at neutral site
Jan. 3 - 65 points on the road
Jan. 8 - 55 points at home
Jan. 11 - 69 points on the road

Something definitely clicked after that Nebraska game, and that is backed up by Kylan's comments. While the Tennessee and OSU wins were really great, this team has just been a different animal since that Nebraska loss. If we can take care of business in Evanston, we have a very good shot at being on an 8-game winning streak as we head into West Lafayette. This squad is hot!!

EDIT: Speaking of the Purdue game, that one has a chance to be REALLY hyped up if we can win our next three games and Purdue is able to beat Iowa at home and sweep its West Coast trip. In such a scenario, it would be 16-3 (7-1) Illinois coming in on an 8-game winning streak to take on 18-1 (8-0) Purdue, who is on a 10-game winning streak. Given each team's current rank, it would probably also be #10/11 Illinois at #4/5 Purdue. What a massive statement win that one could be.
 
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#319      
80'sIllini
At one point, one of the announcers said something to the effect that Ty was, and I paraphrase, "Ramping up his workouts but wasn't ready to play in games yet." Do we have any new information on his progress and possible timeline on when he can play? Ironically, his skillset from 2 years ago, doesn't seem as much needed since we've ramped up our defense but if he now can hit a third of his 3 point attempts and has the same explosiveness and rebounding and defensive tenacity, one can always find some time for a player with those characteristics. I do wonder about any disruptions that could cause to our current excellent team chemistry.
 
#325      
WhereDoWeStandWithStorr?
Fly Illini Fly! said:
So you think they fall out of the top 75? LOL.

Aren't you the same guy who had these posts after Penn State?

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What’s hilarious is that immediately afterward Mizzou proceeded to beat Florida, and then later in the week followed it up with a win @KY.

Crazy to me he thinks TTU was a homer job. Did he not see the flagrant at the end!?
 
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